bluffers
They feign confidence
Bluffers are people who bluff—who pretend to knowledge, ability, or intentions they don't have.
A bluffer at poker feigns a strong hand; a bluffer in conversation fakes expertise.
The term carries mild contempt: The conference was full of bluffers who'd never read the research.
Those falsely claiming identity
- charlatansPretenders to special knowledge
- fraudsDeceptive acts or impostors
- fakersPretenders to authenticity
- pretendersThose falsely claiming something
con artists · swindlers · hoaxers · tricksters · scammers · cheats · quacks · mountebanks
Confident, boastful manner
- boastfulnessExcessive pride in oneself
- cockinessBrash overconfidence
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
- boldnessFearless readiness to act
audacity · chutzpah · brashness · bluster · braggarts · grandstanding · showboating · puffery
Staking money on outcomes
- raisingLifting or nurturing
- foldingBending something over itself
- callingStrongly felt purpose
- tellsConveys information verbally
chip stack · position play · pot odds · showdown · all-in · reading opponents · stone-faced · poker face
Intentional focus manipulation
- feintingDeceptive combat maneuver
- bamboozlingDeceiving through confusion
- hoodwinkingDeliberately misleading someone
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
deceiving · duping · beguiling · smoke and mirrors · red herrings · diversions · double-dealing · fast-talking
Aggressive repeated intimidation
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
- menacingConveying threat or danger
pressure · power plays · psychological warfare · mind games · table talk · needling · trash talk · psyching out
impostors
Those falsely claiming identity
- charlatansPretenders to special knowledge
- fraudsDeceptive acts or impostors
- fakersPretenders to authenticity
pretenders · con artists · swindlers · hoaxers · tricksters · scammers · cheats · quacks · mountebanks · poseurs
swagger
Confident, boastful manner
- boastfulnessExcessive pride in oneself
- cockinessBrash overconfidence
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
boldness · audacity · chutzpah · brashness · bluster · braggarts · grandstanding · showboating · puffery · big talk
betting
Staking money on outcomes
tells · chip stack · position play · pot odds · showdown · all-in · reading opponents · stone-faced · poker face · high stakes
misdirection
Intentional focus manipulation
- feintingDeceptive combat maneuver
- bamboozlingDeceiving through confusion
- hoodwinkingDeliberately misleading someone
misleading · deceiving · duping · beguiling · smoke and mirrors · red herrings · diversions · double-dealing · fast-talking · obfuscation
bullying
Aggressive repeated intimidation
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
menacing · pressure · power plays · psychological warfare · mind games · table talk · needling · trash talk · psyching out · unnerving
- deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
- Truth Stretchersliars, fibbers, embellishers, fabricators, distorters
- non-expertsamateurs, beginners, novices, laypeople, non-experts
blufferstruth-tellers
Those who state facts
straight shooters · genuine articles · straight talkers · open books
- bluffed outWon by false confidence